Ontario is the first Canadian province to incorporate a groundbreaking agreement between the forest products industry and conservation groups for the benefit of boreal forest lands. The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) envisions ultimately protecting 72 million hectares (178 million acres) across Canada, an area of boreal forest twice the size of Germany, but is being implemented through on the ground negotiations, area by area.
On June 28, Ontario agreed to manage 7.5 million acres in the Abitibi River Forest according to CBFA guidance, protecting caribou habitat as well as forest products industry jobs. In the Abitibi River Forest, 2 million acres previously scheduled for logging will be spared and the remainder of the area will be managed under strict sustainable development standards. The CBFA was signed in 2010 by 21 Canadian forest product companies and nine conservation groups. The Pew Environment Group brokered the CBFA agreement and serves on the leadership team.
Learn more about the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement:
